Mac and Cheese Burger Recipe

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Mac and cheese burgers! Two iconic dishes in one. Why settle for only a juicy burger or only mac and cheese when you can have them both in one go?

According to my teenage son, a mac and cheese burger is food for the gods. Two of his favorite meals reunited in one decadent, sloppy, cheesy burger… watching him devouring this is better than watching Netflix…

What makes this burger recipe a teenage dream?

• Hearty beef patty
• Crispy bacon
• Sloppy mac and cheese
• Extra cheese

Do I need to say more?

Expert Tips

• There are two ways of making these mac and cheese burger recipe: the made-from-scratch version and the fast version. Choose whatever you like, both versions are thoroughly delicious, and if I might say so (although this is a food blog), nobody will notice if you decide to take the shortcut.

• To make macaroni and cheese from scratch, you can use any of our recipes (except the one made with tuna).
• However, you will not need a whole batch, ½ a batch will be plenty for making four mac and cheese burgers. I always make a whole batch, serve one day, and save some to make the burgers the next day.
  • Gouda Mac and Cheese
  • Ricotta Mac and Cheese
  • Mac and Cheese without Milk
  • Mac and Cheese without Flour

• Way of cooking: You can cook the patties and bacon in a grill pan, on the grill outside, in a large skillet, or in the air fryer.

Made-from-scratch version

Ingredients for the beef patties:

• Ground beef: You will need one pound of ground beef to make four burgers. When making your patties, it’s worth it to buy the best quality meat you can afford. Already packed meat is often too watery and relatively neutral in taste.
  • The best meat-to-fat ratio is 80:20; the fat content makes the burgers juicy without overwhelming the flavor of the meat.

• Spices: sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. The spices are optional (except salt and pepper), and you can always add other spices if you like.

Ingredients for the topping:

• Burger buns – with or without sesame.
• Sauce: Anything you like, something like BBQ sauce, chili, sweet chili or hot sauce, etc.
• Mustard or ketchup or mayonnaise
• Red onion
• Bacon
• A few slices of sweet and sour cucumbers
• A few salad leaves
• Sharp cheddar cheese slices (or other cheese slices like American cheese, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack).

Step-by-step instructions

Homemade mac and cheese:

• Follow any of the above-linked recipes.
• You can make the recipe one day ahead and keep what you need for the burgers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave before adding to the burgers.

Cook the bacon:

• Cook the bacon in a pan until nice and crispy and drain on paper towels.
• If you only cook 2 patties, you can add the bacon slices to the pan or air fryer during the last 4-5 minutes of the cooking time.
• If you make 4 burgers, you will need to use 2 pans as they will not all fit in a pan.

Prepare the toppings:

• Slice the onion thinly.
• Dry the sweet and sour cucumber slices with kitchen paper.

Cook the patties:

• Mix the beef and all the spices, except the salt.
• Form the patties and keep them refrigerated until ready to cook. Sprinkle them with salt before cooking. Adding salt at the last minute is best, as salt might draw out some of the juiciness.
• Cook burgers in the air fryer (1,2), grill pan (3), or a large skillet.
• Top them with a slice of cheese during the last minute of the cooking time (4). Cover the pan after you add the cheese if cooking them in the pan.

Build the burgers:

• Toast the bun halves in the pan or the air fryer, about 1-2 minutes should do it.
• Smear the lower halves of the buns with the sauce. Smear the upper halves of the buns with mustard, ketchup, or mayonnaise.
• Top bun with one or two salad leaves (depending on their size) and some onion slices on the bottom bun.
• Add some cucumber slices.
• Top with the cheesy beef patty.
• Cover with a generous amount of reheated macaroni noodles.
• Add pieces of bacon.
• Top with the upper bun half.

Fast version

Recipe ingredients

• Leftover macaroni and cheese or prepare a box of mac and cheese according to the package directions.
• Store-bought burger patties: use the best quality you can afford. They can fresh or frozen.
• Topping ingredients: The same as above.

Step-by-step instructions

• Mac and cheese: Prepare according to the packet’s instructions or reheat leftover mac in the microwave.
• Cook the beef patties and the bacon in the grill pan, skillet, or air fryer. If you are using frozen patties, check out how to cook Frozen Burgers in the Air Fryer.
• Prepare the toppings as instructed above.
• Build the mac and cheese burgers as instructed above.

Recipe FAQ

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